The Mouse and the Meadow

The team at Dawn Publications is back with a fantastic app that gets kids right into the lives of animals. In this case we follow a little mouse in a meadow. The app is a wonderful story for reading and we have given the app an EAS Certification of 5 Stars and EAS Recommended status.

Screenshots

Teacher Review

As always, the team behind Dawn Publications has created a wonderful story that is engaging, fun and educational. It inspires curiosity about the world around us. Kids and parents will really enjoy delving into the natural world that lies beyond our urban living!

There are many points that make this app so great. Although the idea behind the app is very simple; it is a story that kids can either read aloud to themselves or with help from an adult or, they can have the story read to them via the pre-recorded voice-over.

The story plays out in a rhyming format with a very big variety in the vocabulary. We found a number of synonyms used and explained for words. This will make users more aware of how different words can be used to describe the same thing. We really liked to see this type of quality in the story as it means that kids reading the story will understand the meaning of the words more naturally.

I would have loved to see a separate area with some of the more difficult words highlighted and explained. For example we encountered ‘metamorphosis’ as one of the words so, it would be great to have this explained as an add-on.

One of the things that we really liked in the story was that it deals with the theme of courage, adventure and solidarity amongst the animals in the meadow.

Additionally, at the end of the story, readers will be able to learn more about the creatures that were featured in the story.

Overall, this is a story where the utmost care has been taken to illustrate, animate it and write something that is memorable and that will be read over and over again.

We can see this story quickly becoming a children’s favourite!

From the Developer

A curious young mouse boldly ventures into the meadow for the first time. In this animated app he receives a crash course on life—from creatures both friendly and not so friendly. There are surprises at every turn and every touch of a finger on the screen -- and the science concepts are entirely accurate.

* He witnesses a caterpillar becoming a chrysalis.
* He marvels that fireflies can glow.
* The mouse encounters a snake that would have him for lunch!
* An owl swoops – watch out, mouse!

An ordinary mouse in an ordinary meadow provides ample material for a dynamic, true-to-life story! Listen as the story is read aloud, or choose to read it to yourself.

* Diana Dove, Environmental Educator, says: “Here’s a charming story that leads the reader through a meadow, experiencing the beauty of nature while dodging the dangers from meadow predators. The daily struggle to survive, coupled with an appreciation for the natural world, provide a dynamic underlying theme.”

* Liz Roy, retired teacher and member of the Izaak Walton League of America's Environmental Education Committee says: “Imagine you are a little meadow mouse out for a day of adventure. Your world is full of friends, dangers, and surprises at every turn. Tomorrow is another day but now you have a friend to share it with. This story is not only entertaining but good for vocabulary development, and the science concepts are accurately illustrated throughout.”

* Mark Moran, teacher at the Island Creek Elem. School, Alexandria, VA, says: “The Mouse and the Meadow is a terrific introduction for young readers to the inner workings of a meadow. Readers experience the meadow at ‘ground level’ as they follow the young mouse’s explorations and learn about the relationships and interconnectedness of the plants and animals that live there. A very entertaining, informative, and enjoyable read!’

The Mouse and the Meadow is a new adventure for illustrator Chad Wallace of New York, stunningly illustrated and compellingly written. Wallace seamlessly blends drama and science in this entertaining coming of age tale.